Japanese Language Courses

The paper that I have presented herein is the introduction of a study technique to students of standard IV, and to test the effectiveness of the method on the performance of the students. The students were taught a Science topic using 2 periods each of 40 minutes’ duration.

In this paper I have presented:

• A brief description of the method adopted while teaching of the topic
• A transcript of the lesson used in class 
• An example of highlighting and note taking as part of the self learning methodology
• A PowerPoint presentation depicting the development of ideas on the black board with the students’ participation
• A brief analysis of the outcome of the methodology by way of the teacher’s observations of the students and the work produced by the students at the end of the class.

 Teaching / Delivery Methodology

A certain chapter from a Science text book was used. The text was read sentence by sentence, followed by a discussion involving questions and answers.

For the second session, the students were asked to read the chapter ahead of the class to prepare for the discussion. During the reading, the children were asked to

• Underline the main ideas
• Circle new and difficult words

The method adopted was an interactive method of asking questions directed towards generating ideas and answers from within the group.

The desired replies were recorded on the board, acknowledging the students for their contribution, thereby providing them the permission and confidence to speak up and participate.

Using the board, the ideas were compiled schematically as depicted in the subsequent pages, classifying, categorizing and organizing the information in a coherent overview which serves as a brief yet detailed summary of the discussion.

The flowchart or schematic summary of the discussion was then used by the students to write a paragraph about the topic. The ideas were already enlisted and structured on the board, and the children were therefore required only to convert the ideas into sentences and paragraphs.

The students were encouraged to use their own ability to think and write a coherent text, with minimum intervention from the teacher, who acted solely as a facilitator – visiting desk to desk and offering assistance where required